


The Dedication Page

by JaceRMontague



Series: 30k in 30 days [10]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluff, Regina's an author-in-training, Students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-30 06:56:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8522992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaceRMontague/pseuds/JaceRMontague
Summary: Emma finds a USB in the back of one of the college computers, she connects it to her own laptop and discovers the owner of the USB is an incredible author.





	

Emma slumped down in front of the computer, logging into the library computer, rubbing her forehead with one hand as she covered a yawn with the other. Once she was logged in she went to put her USB into the computer only to find another USB already there. She slid the USB into her own pocket before connecting her own into the computer and downloading all the documents she needed from the library’s database before removing the USB and walking back to her dorm to work on her laptop in comfort.

The dorm’s door slammed shut as Emma kicked her boots across the room before she threw herself down on the bed, a chocolate bar held by its wrapper between her teeth, a soda in one hand and her free hand reaching for her laptop. She shrugged out of her jacket. As she dropped her jacket onto the floor she remembered the USB in one of the pockets and picked the jacket back up. She found the memory stick in the bottom of one of the pockets and connected it to her laptop, hoping to find the name of the person who owned it so she could return the USB to them.

The contents of the USB loaded on the screen, it had two main folders ‘College’ and ‘Writing’. Emma scrolled through the latter folder, writing was so much more interesting that college.  The folder was made up of many separate stories, both unfinished and completely edited and polished, files filled with notes from the ‘real world’ – Emma recognised names and events that had happened, when Emma read about the professor walking in, putting her head on the desk and telling thee students just to read because she was ‘super fucking hungover’ the blonde realised that the author who owned the memory stick was in her Creative Writing class. The final document in the folder was nearly 60 pages long – a half finished novel. Emma stood up, made herself a mug of coffee, made herself comfortable on the bed once more and began reading the story in front of her.  The story was an epic romance story, two girls travelling Europe and falling for each other. As she read it Emma felt the emotions of the characters herself, their happiness and their anguish. She hated that the author of the story was such an incredible author. She was jealous but she loved the story and all she wanted was to find the author and tell them how amazing their story was.

It was three am when Emma had finished reading the pages.

The blonde rubbed her eyes, which were aching by then, and began looking through the college folder looking for a name. She found one at the end of the first document – another piece of creative writing for a project that had been completed and handed in the week prior – Regina Mills.

Emma created a new word file.  
  
‘I love your writing. I’m jealous. I cried over your European love story.’ She began, remembering how in the story one of the girls had gotten onto a train and the other didn’t think she had and was waiting at the station for her friend, only to see her sitting in a compartment of the train as the train left station. Emma could feel herself welling up once more and so she got back to her note.

‘I hope you don’t mind that I read it.’

Emma concluded her note with her name, phone number and dorm number. She saved it as a loose file in the writing folder, shut down her laptop, changed into her pyjamas and drifted into sleep for a few hours.

When Emma woke up at nine twenty she had a mad panic, certain she’d slept through nearly an hour of her 8:30am Friday lecture before realising it was a Saturday. She began to drift back to sleep but just as she felt herself beginning to get heavy she remembered the USB she had left in her laptop and startled awake once more.

She pulled some relatively clean clothes from her floor and changed into them. She pulled her hair back and her jacket on, slid the USB into a pocket, just about remembered to brush her teeth, grabbed her phone off charge and then headed out of the dorms and into the main building of the school.

She was certain that Regina Mills was the beautiful brunette who sat on the other side of the lecture hall and could usually be found in the library reading on Saturdays.

Emma entered the library quietly and headed towards the computers, hoping that Regina would be at the computers looking for her USB. Emma reached the station and found it completely empty and so she began looking around the rest of the library, looking at every table and between every shelf looking for the brunette. Emma headed towards the door, about give up and ask a member of staff where she could find Regina. Just as Emma placed her hand on the door handle the heavy door swung open, almost hitting Emma in the face in the process.

On the other side of the door, Emma’s luck finally changing, stood the brunette she’d been looking for. Regina looked utterly exhausted and flustered and she rushed straight past Emma, heading towards the back of the library to the computers.

‘Regina!’ Emma hissed, trying to keep quiet enough that the strict librarian wouldn’t tell he off. She rushed behind the brunette – who was even more beautiful up closer than Emma had thought she was from glances across the lecture hall.

‘Regina!’ Emma tried again, this time the brunette turned around.

‘Yes?’ Regina asked sharply, clearly not willing to waste any time when she could be looking for her USB. Regina looked at Emma and realised the person hissing her name was in fact the drop dead gorgeous blonde with the emerald eyes from her Creative Writing class.

‘Can I help you?’ Regina asked.

‘I believe this is yours.’ Emma said, pulling the USB from her pocket with a flourish. She dropped the device into Regina’s palm and began walking away.

She stopped when she felt Regina’s hand on one of her arms.

‘Thank you- ‘

‘Emma. Swan. Emma Swan’

‘Thank you, Miss Swan.’ Regina said sincerely as she dropped her hand back to her side.

‘No problem’ Emma replied with a shrug.

That evening as Emma lay on her bed with her laptop resting on her stomach as she worked Emma heard her phone ping.

‘Do you really think it could be published?’ There was no name attached to the number that had text Emma but the blonde knew exactly who it was as she remembered exactly what the note had said.

_‘I love your writing. I’m jealous. I cried over your European love story. You’re such an incredible author. I felt every emotion the characters felt and stayed up most of the night falling in love with them._

_When this is finished, and please do finish it, get it published. I will be first in line to buy a copy._

_I hope you don’t mind that I read it._

_-Emma.’_

‘With all my heart.’ She sent back.

 

 

Seven years later, Emma was walking through a London bookstore, her wife at her side. She grinned when she saw number one on the book charts.

_Together with you – Regina Mills._

It had taken a while, a long while, for Regina to get her story published. But it had been worth it.

Even if it had taken another thirty years to get the book to print it would have been worth it just to watch as Emma read the book’s dedications for the first time again.

‘For my wife, who has believed in this story with all her heart since College.’

**Author's Note:**

> I love reading everyone's comments on my other oneshots! I hope you all enjoyed this one. 
> 
> If you don't mind - some prompts would be very much appriciated!!
> 
> Keep going guys, one more day and the weekend is upon us!


End file.
